A Book Recommendation: Defenders of the West
A few weeks ago, I came across a recent podcast episode from the Christian Conservative publication American Reformer. The American Reformer podcast interviewed historian and writer Raymond Ibrahim about his recent book Defenders of the West (2022).
After listening to this excellent podcast episode, I decided to check out Ibrahim’s book, and I can honestly say that it’s one of the best books I’ve read in the past few years. Ibrahim’s Defenders of the West pushes back against the false narratives surrounding the Christian crusaders from the 11th through 16th centuries.
For context, Muslim armies conquered Christian civilization in North Africa, Asia Minor, and Arabia in the 7th and 8th centuries. Christian civilization now no longer exists these areas after Muslim leaders eliminated the Christian populations there. Additionally, Islam even spread into Europe by conquering parts of Spain in the 8th century and parts of southeastern Europe in the 14th century under the Ottoman Empire.
Despite the existential threat Islam posed to European Christianity in the beginning of the 2nd millennium, Christians are taught to apologize for the justified actions of the Christian Crusaders in the 11th through 16th centuries.
What were are not told in school is that the Muslim armies of the Ottoman Empire and other Muslim dynasties pillaged, enslaved, and raped innocent European Christians for centuries. Fortunately, Ibrahim’s book Defenders of the West tells the truth about the Crusades. This book provides the necessary historical context of the Crusades via engaging storytelling and primary sources.
On a general note, Defenders of the West tells the stories of 8 heroic Christian Crusaders who defended Christian Europe from the incoming onslaught of medieval Muslims. Some of the notable Crusaders mentioned in this book include Duke Godrey of the 1st Crusade, King Richard the Lionheart, Saint Ferdinand of Spain, and Skanderberg of Albania. You’ll have to check out the book in order to learn more about these heroic Christian men from centuries past.
These devout Christian men protected European Christendom from Islam, and they deserve our admiration and respect. America would not have existed if the Christian Crusaders failed in protecting Europe from Islamic jihad, and modern Americans ought to learn about their stories in our quest to save America from the current globalist regime.
Don’t just take my word about Defenders of the West. Here are some of the stellar reviews of this book from notable figures in the American conservative movement—including historian Victor Davis Hanson and former Congressman Allen West.
“Defenders of the West is engaging storytelling of fascinating people and forgotten events at its best. Although anchored in arcane or archaic texts, it reads and flows like an adroitly crafted novel, buttressed by a scholarship that allows those of the past to speak for the past.” —Victor Davis Hanson
“Raymond Ibrahim is a highly intelligent student of history and the civilizational warfare of Islamic jihadism.” —Allen West
Anyways, I hope that this book recommendation inspired and informed the RVIVR audience about the truth of the Crusades. Defenders of the West is a useful resource for Christians who want to learn the truth about our history.
